AI Agents Need Identity — Europe Has the Blueprint
In a new paper published by the WE BUILD consortium, the authors argue that Europe holds a strategic advantage in building trusted AI ecosystems through its existing digital identity infrastructure. The publication outlines how the European Digital Identity Framework, the EUDI Wallet, and the emerging European Business Wallet provide the essential foundation for a scalable trust layer.
By 2030, billions of AI agents are expected to operate across international borders, and while the potential for efficiency is significant, this agentic shift also introduces new risks to accountability and security. Europe is uniquely positioned to lead this landscape by leveraging the European Digital Identity Framework (EUDIF), the EUDI Wallet (EUDIW), and the European Business Wallet (EUBW). In this paper released today by the WE BUILD consortium, industry peers from the technology, payment, and regulatory sectors explore how these frameworks provide the essential legal and technical foundation for the next digital frontier.
As AI agents begin executing transactions and managing systems, integrated trust frameworks are essential for long-term safety. By extending European identity frameworks to non-human actors using verifiable credentials, the EU can create an "Authenticated Internet" with cryptographically verifiable content and transactions. A core focus is securing agentic commerce through a "chain of trust" for autonomous payments. For instance, an agent tasked with a purchase within a specific budget would only transact with verified merchants, mitigating fraud at scale.
Strategic Recommendations
The paper outlines three pillars for a safe and competitive ecosystem:
- Unified Strategy: Convene stakeholders to align AI agent deployments with the Business Wallet framework.
- Interoperability Standards: Prioritize working groups to bridge the gap between AI agents and digital identity wallets.
- Innovation-First: Focus on large-scale testing and pilots, regulating only where strictly necessary
Read the paper at WE BUILD Consortium.
Key Contributors
This paper represents a joint vision from:
- Bo Fjelkner, Director Technology Regulation, Ericsson
- Carsten Stöcker, CEO & Founder, Spherity GmbH
- David Magård, Co-coordinator WE BUILD
- Dennis Hannemann, Director Regulatory Strategy & Digital Identity, Bundesanzeiger Verlag
- Laurent Bailly, Digital Identity Business Development Director, Visa Europe
- Peter Busch, Director Technology Mgmt, Robert Bosch GmbH
- Stavan Parikh, VP/GM Payments at Google
- Willem Scalongne, Program manager AI, Kamer Van Koophandel
